After Two Decades, Woman Returns to Healthcare, Graduates Yale Nursing at 50 Alongside Her Son
After Two Decades, Woman Returns to Healthcare, Graduates Yale Nursing at 50 Alongside Her Son
After Two Decades, Woman Returns to Healthcare, Graduates Yale Nursing at 50 Alongside Her Son
Vanessa Landegger’s journey into medicine came full circle more than two decades after she first stepped away from it. In 2000, Landegger enrolled in medical school in Colorado with an eight-month-old son, Dylan, at home. Balancing demanding coursework, late-night studying, and new motherhood quickly became overwhelming. Within months, she made the difficult decision to withdraw from medical school and dedicate herself fully to raising her child.
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At the time, Landegger believed she was closing the door on a lifelong dream of working in healthcare. Instead, she redirected her path—earning two master’s degrees, becoming a science teacher in Connecticut, and raising three children with her husband. Though her career appeared firmly set outside medicine, she later said the desire to work in healthcare never truly faded.
Years later, a turning point came when her son Dylan became an emergency medical technician (EMT). He encouraged his mother to try the work herself, telling her she would enjoy it. Landegger took the step, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, mother and son worked EMT shifts together, serving their community during one of its most challenging periods.
The experience reignited her passion for healthcare. At age 50, Landegger returned to school and enrolled at the Yale School of Nursing. In 2024, she graduated—while Dylan was simultaneously a first-year student in the same nursing program.
Today, Dylan is training in adult and gerontology acute care, while Vanessa is beginning her career as a midwife at the same Connecticut hospital where they once worked side by side as EMTs. Her story stands as a testament to delayed dreams realized, showing that returning to a calling is possible at any stage of life.
After Two Decades, Woman Returns to Healthcare, Graduates Yale Nursing at 50 Alongside Her Son
